When the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Katie Ledecky won by more than a four-second margin.
This time on Tuesday, the 27-year-old finished nearly 18 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor, more than a half-lap ahead of Italy’s Simona Quadarella. The USA swimming star set such a staggering pace that at one point, she was alone on the television screen, looking as if she was swimming by herself in the Olympic pool.
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Ledecky finished with a time of 15:47:43, nearly 20 seconds ahead of China’s Li Bingjie, who finished at 16:05:26. Wednesday’s 1500m freestyle final figures to be a much closer race, given that three other swimmers clocked in under 16 minutes in their respective heats.
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For nearly every other competitor, the 1,500-meter freestyle might be the single worst event in the Olympic program: a lung-busting, muscle-burning, 15-plus-minute torture test in which they hit the water knowing that they’re essentially swimming for second place.
“You can’t even be upset,” said Jillian Cox, 19, an American distance swimmer who has competed against Ledecky. “On the first 50, you are body lengths behind. It’s just amazing.”
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Aurora Roghair, who finished fifth at the U.S. trials, swam with Ledecky at a meet in early 2020. Ledecky swam what was then the fifth-fastest time in history in the race, lapping Roghair before the 1,100-meter mark.
“I didn’t know that was possible in the long course,” said Roghair. “But it was OK. It was Katie Ledecky.”
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The last time Ledecky was beaten in a 1,500-meter freestyle event was at a regional swim meet in Maryland 14 years ago. Since then, she has set a world record in the event six times; won it at five world championships and in the inaugural Olympic race in 2021; and has recorded the 19 fastest times in history.
At the world championships last summer, when Ledecky won the event by 17 seconds, television cameras struggled to capture her and her competitors in the same shot over the final laps. Ledecky will be the heavy favorite to take home her eighth gold medal and tie the women’s swim record of 12 medals overall in the final on Wednesday at 3:13 p.m. ET.
Ledecky’s only medal so far in Paris is a bronze in the 400 free.